Poisonous :Ayano X Budo:
by KatiMariposa
Summary: Ayano Aishi had her Senpai on her mind and had an agenda to take out her competition, but she never excepted to be sidetracked by another boy. Who you might ask? The Martial Arts Club Leader himself: Budo Masuta. The two seem too different to be compatible, but after a couple of encounters, something sparked between them. Is there a change of heart for Ayano or a trick in disguise?
1. Prelude

Screams of shock and terror filled the halls of the seemingly peaceful Akademi High School. While the soft pink flower petals fell gracefully from the full Sakura trees outside in the front of the building, the inside had another scene playing out in the form of a tragedy.

"Oh my god!," one of the male students shrieked in the doorway of a classroom. Other students were gathering in groups of two or three, curious of what the commotion was about.

"Everybody get back! Move aside please," the teacher with a high side bun approached the crowded area, shoving some of the teens out of her walk way to investigate the situation.

"Kaho Sensei!," purple haired teacher's pet Riku Soma called to said teacher, then he pointed forward past the people, "She's in there..."

In the right direction, the calm teacher slowly took cautionary steps towards the location of the situation, noting on the floor were track marks and slightly smeared footprints leading away from the class.

"Is that? Blood?," she thought, nervously silent.

She proceeded to push pass the students who were whispering and shivering in fear, overwhelmed from the sight of what lied inside the room. No one else dared to enter the scene bravely. Some of the guys were squemish and couldn't look long enough, and the girls were shaky and tearing up. As Kaho got closer to the doorway, a sense of great disbelief surged through her body, as she laid eyes on what was wrong.

"N-No. It can't be...," she stuttered, lips quivered uncontrollably.

There lied the lifeless bodies of two female students, covered and soaked in a giant pool of their own blood.

A few desks were tossed on their sides, chairs flipped and damaged, blood was scattered across the walls of the room. There were even single strands of hair lying in the scarlet puddle. Kaho ran to their side to check their pulses immediately, in hopes they were still alive. One girl was face down into the floor, while the other was on her left side, almost facing the chalkboard. She began feeling for a pulse on the pink haired girl who was on her side, gripping her wrist and pressing her fingers against her neck. The skin was cold; no natural warm coming from her. Kaho couldn't feel a heartbeat from any of the spots she tried, confirming she was indeed, deceased.

What struck her the most, was the recognition of the two (now messy) curly pigtails she had fixed for her hair. That's when she carefully tilted her face into view, staring down at those dark vacant purple eyes. She gasped silently and her eyes grew even wider.

"N-Noo... K-...K-Kokona...?!," Kaho shook in her bloodstained heels, a couple of tears building up in the corners of her eyes.

Kokona Haruka was one of her students and had been very concerned about her recently, due to her acting somewhat depressed and sad. She never would say what it was that was bothering her so much because she felt so ashamed and kept it to herself. Now, seeing her like this, dead. It was like a jab in the chest, because Kaho felt like she could've done something to help, but how could she? It didn't appear to be a suicide, so she couldn't completely blame herself, but it didn't matter the circumstance. She was a teacher who strongly cared about each and every one of her students, so it hurt more to her than anyone would ever think.

* * *

"Stop this Ayano! Put the knife down!," a bandana wearing Martial Arts leader Budo Masuta held onto the wrists and arms of the perpetrator, in an ongoing struggle that could mean life or death for the both of them. He was clearly overpowering her, but alas, she had some strength to hold herself against him.

"You need to stop interferring Budo!," the short black ponytailed girl, Ayano Aishi spat back at his face, wieilding the murder weapon stained with the blood of the victims on the other side of the school.

The knife shook in her hand, dripping blood around as he tried to hold her down or knock it out of her tight grip, avoiding the chance of getting stabbed by her and getting away. Ayano was covered in splotches of crimson liquid, soaking through her school unifrom and onto her soft pale skin. Her eyes were dark, light two blackholes were peering towards the boy viciously. He was certain that if he made one wrong move, he would be next on the death list. He had to be strong and apprehend her soon, before she got away and claimed any other people.

"Listen to me! I don't understand why you need to kill to get what you want! It's inhumane."

"Well I'm not like other people! They were getting in the way and I had to take them out. And if you don't let me go, I will make sure to kill you too!"

"Stop it! You are better than this Ayano! You're more human than you think!"

"Let go Budo!"

"Snap out of it! AYANO!"

"JUST SHUT UP!," she freed herself from his strong grip and backed up a bit, only to launch her body towards him and aimed the knife in the air, preparing to stab him in a flash.


	2. Chapter 1

About a month prior to the events that would set in motion, a young teenaged girl was on her way to her house from a trip to the local grocery store. After a long day of school, she decided to get a few things to eat later at home and relax for the weekend. She walked about everywhere she went. The distances between the school, the store and her house wasn't that far from each other. Not to mention, she wasn't allowed to take the family car at all, so she had no other choice. But she didn't mind it. Walking was a way to enjoy the scenery and breathe after a stressful day of anything, though her feet started to hurt a little.

The sun began to set and the street lights were automatically turning on, starting off dim before becoming brighter. She knew then that it was going to get dark out soon and needed to hurry back home faster, so she sped up a bit with her walking. It only took several more yards to reach her house. Once she approached the end of her driveway, she noticed something different. Her father's car was missing.

"Huh? Dad's car isn't here?," she commented to herself, "Maybe he went to run an errand?"

Shrugging it off, she continued casually towards the front door, fishing for the key in her small black handbag with one hand, grocery bags occupying her other one. She finally pulled it out, slipped it into the slot, turned and twisted the gold doorknob, pushing it outward inside the house. She removed the key from the lock slot and closed the door behind her before locking it up again.

"Mom! I'm home," she shouted from the doorway, waiting for a response while taking off her black dressy school shoes by the door and coat rack.

But when she didn't hear her mother's voice reply to her, she paused and walked towards the living room area with wandering eyes.

"Mom?," she called again, noticing that the living room was empty. Empty and silent. Nobody was in sight. Not even the TV was on. Usually her mother would be watching one of her soap operas around this time, right after she prepared dinner for the family. This seemed strange to the concerned daughter.

As curiosity grew more, she ventured to the kitchen to see if perhaps she was prepping up dinner a little late. She couldn't smell anything cooking on her way to the area, but maybe her mother hadn't started yet. She made it to the walkway entrance that led to the cooking space, but there was no sign of her mother then either. Everything was left the way it was when she had left for school earlier in the morning. She placed the bag of groceries on the smoothly cleaned marble counter, noting how it all seemed undoubtedly cleansed. _What was going on?_

The stove was ice cold, appearing to never had been turned on, the pots, pans and other dishes were put away neatly in their designated places. What caught her attention was the small white hand towel she tossed to the side of the sink this morning was still in the same place she left it, in the exact position, she added in mind.

She glanced over to the dining space and not even the table was set up. It was left as it was before. The girl was becoming more concerned about the whereabouts of her parents. She leaned against the counter and pondered deeply, trying to come up with different places to check. She quickly inspected the rest of the house, starting with the small office her father had near the back of the house. Nothing was inside, but his paperwork and pens were out on the surface of the desk, as if he abandoned them in that fashion to take care of other business. She exited the room and searched the bathroom next door. Nothing. Next on her mental list, she rechecked the living room, but alas, it remained the same as she came in.

"Hello? Is anyone here?," she shouted and called, "Mom? Dad?"

She looked through every possible space downstairs, but saw no trace of anybody even present. The home even sounded eerily empty, but she hoped maybe, one of her parents was just quietly busy inside. Then she snapped an idea in her head: check the bedrooms upstairs.

So she scurried upwards without tripping on her own feet. Her first thought was to enter her own bedroom first. She opened the door roughly and scanned the area once she flipped the lights on. Her belongings were still in one piece; no object touched or turned. She tossed her handbag onto her bed across the room, missing by a couple of inches. She didn't care at the moment. She was too worried about her missing mother and father. Assuming they never bothered to enter her room, she left and headed for the next possible location: their bedroom.

She slightly tripped on her feet making her way to the parents' room, without care, she swung and slammed open the door, immediately scanning the surroundings. That's when things really twisted and turned in the back of her mind.

The bed was messy, with no attempt in fixing it neatly. Most of the usual things that they had set up around the room were missing, leaving the room to appear half empty. She darted to the dresser on the right that had a few items on top of the surface. The item that caught her eye was flipped face down from view. She gently glided her fingers on the rims of the square shaped object, wondering why it was like this. Then she proceeded to grab it with both hands and turned it over to face her. It was their family photo. _Why was this facing down? Why are there things gone from its place?_

She examined the picture she had seen so many times before. Her father, tall and handsome, who also shared the same eyes with her, was standing on the left side. Her mother, her lovely mother, who was almost an exact copy of her was on the right side, her firm yet gentle hand resting on the small girl's shoulder. Then dead center, right in between the two adults was the little girl. With short black hair, dark yet with a hint of innocence and a small semi smile, like as if she wasn't all too happy to take that picture that day. She couldn't remember why she wasn't in the mood, but what was more important right now was the disappearance of her parents. She dropped the picture frame on the shelf and rushed to the closet. The majority of the clothes that used to hang on the racks were gone; the hangers were naked. Some of their shoes where not in their place and the two giant suitcases were not there either, which could only mean one thing.

They abandoned her and their home.

 **They abandoned her. Their own daughter.**

Suddenly, her mind went blank. She didn't know what to think. In disbelief, she ran towards their personal bathroom in confirm her suspicions. When she entered, she eyed the vanity. The restroom belongings were also gone from the counter, toothbrushes and all. Even her mother's makeup and blow-dryer had vanished as well. Her legs became weak and she slowly slid onto the cold tile floor. She shut her eyes, hoping it was all a dream. Her head was spinning and once she opened her eyes again, she completely froze. Her expression was emotionless, her eyes grew dark and soulless. She remained that way for the next several minutes. The realization triggered her into a detached state. She was gaining back those old time feelings like once before. When she was out of touch with her humanity. At least, that's what it seemed like then.

* * *

The basement was hollow and cool. A single lightbulb on the ceiling with a metal beaded cord was the only source of light in the room. Sitting in a lonely wooden chair in the middle of the room was the teenage daughter who was left behind by her family. The people she had looked up to had packed their bags and left the nest. She made herself comfortable in this specific chair. It belonged to her mother. It was a unique piece for furniture, because she used this chair to tie up her kidnapped victim: her own father. She abducted him and made him be with her forever, and that's what brought their family together. The girl didn't know about it, in fact, she didn't know why it was there to begin with, but somehow she felt a connection to it, as if, it called to her.

In her lap, she held onto a book with a black hardcover. It was actually her diary. She collected it from her bedroom after she snapped back into reality momentarily. Nothing was written in it yet, only because it was new, fresh from the store. Her other one had been filled from time before and she was surprisingly dedicated to it, writing every day, whenever she could. She needed a new book to begin her next chapter. Unfortunately, it's been days since she bought the book, so nothing new has been logged down yet. But now, seeing as she was in this situation, she felt she had a purpose for it. In her hand was a pen, ready to be used. After sitting in a mindless daze for a good period of time, she blinks to gain her sense back and sat up straight, peering down at her fresh diary. She clicked the button on the end of her pen, flipped open her book to reveal a blank page and began to write:

 **Dear Diary,**

 **I can't… feel anything… I realize writing a new book in this manner isn't a great start, but I also realized that there is no reason to be happy at all… I came home from school and the store to find my house uninhabited, with no single sign of life inside. Both of my parents have vanished… For what reason? It is unclear to me. As much as I'd like to be extremely outraged by this discovery, I cannot react the way I want to, for I cannot function as properly as any other normal person. I've been like this for the longest time, as I have said in my previous entries. I am not entirely sure if they will ever return, but I do not care for now… I'm afraid I might never care in the future. I am so numb right now and may feel that way for a good while…**

 **Sincerely, Ayano Aishi**


	3. Chapter 2

Ayano spent the weekend alone. Her deserting parents had not made themselves know or even attempt to contact their child the whole time. She repeatedly checked her cellphone in case one of them tried to call or text, but her inbox was empty. She didn't bother contacting them herself because she was too numb to care at times. _Hopeless…_

It was Sunday night, she just showered and dressed herself in her favorite light blue pajamas before thinking of going to bed, but before she could do that, she needed to fill a new page in her diary, so she went to her bookshelf, pulled it out from between two manga books, grabbed the black pen from her desk and lied on her stomach on her soft warm bed. She first brushed back her damp hair and then wrote a big paragraph on a blank page for a few minutes. Once she was content with what she put down in black ink, she closed the book and casually returned it to its rightful place, tossed the pen on the desk and hopped into bed, scurrying under the sheets. Ayano lied on her back, staring blankly up at the ceiling; her arms crossed underneath her head for support.

Soundless yet peaceful, the house being this vacant gave her an amazing sense of comfort. However, she was also dwelling on the many different things wrong with her and her family, but mostly about her. _Why do I feel this way? Why have I always been this empty? If only I truly knew the answer to that… Or to why they ran away… I'm so lost…_

On that note, she turned out the light from her lamp and drifted into slumber, setting her wandering thoughts into silence and just waiting to wake up for school the next day.

* * *

Her alarm went off at 6:00 a.m. like she always had it, but instead of getting up at that time, she simply shut the sound off with the snooze button and dozed back to sleep, not realizing she needed to wake up at that moment. When she finally decided to open her eyes, she glanced at her clock to see the time, though her vision was kind of blurry from sleepiness. The device read 7:52 a.m.

"Oh no," she mumbled deeply.

She sprung from the bed and darted towards the bathroom to brush her teeth.

"Oh no! I'm going to be late for school," she freaked out as she grabbed the toothbrush and toothpaste.

For the next twenty to thirty minutes, she threw herself together and made sure she was completely ready for school before rushing out of the house. She gathered all her things and practically dashed from her front door, not before locking it up of course, then putting in more force to sprint her way to school. Her handbag was literally gliding in mid-air as she ran down the street, oblivious to her surroundings. A car could run her over and she wouldn't expect it coming for her. All she felt concerned about was making it to school without her teacher nagging at her for being late, again.

Just as she was bolting around the corner she always took, a force collided against her from the side and knocked her onto the dirt road as rocks and pebbles flew from underneath her body. Her bag went flying across from her spot, but not too lost. The impact was agonizing for a moment. She groaned while trying to pick herself up off the ground, barely processing what had occurred. But what distracted her from almost brushing it off was the sound of another voice moaning from the pain as well. Her head throbbed uncontrollably and she clenched it to help ease it.

"Oh my god! Hey, are you alright?," the deep voice spoke to Ayano worryingly.

Interested in who was speaking to her, she gently rose her head and what she saw leaves her astounded.

"Hey, um, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to run into you like that… I guess I wasn't pay attention, on the account that I am late for school," a tall, gentle young man said, his arms waving in front of him as a form of guilty gesture.

In her eyes, he was so handsome, it was like she had completely forgotten about her headache. As if, they were the only two people in the world right now. His short dark locks were slightly fixed, little bangs covering his forehead in the middle, mostly. The aura that surrounded him was bright, innocent and lovely, in an eye blinding yellow shade. He resembled a pure knight in shining armor, here to rescue her damsel in distress.

 _W-What? Wh-… W-Who is he? What… What is… This feeling…? Why do I feel… So warm inside…?_

"Are you okay?," he repeated calmly, his eyebrow raised in concern.

Ayano remained quiet. She couldn't stop admiring him from afar. Who was this boy? She wondered intensely. She's seen him before from a distance, a couple times at school, but she never knew him personally and she never realized up until now how dreamy he was up close. She couldn't help herself. Her cheeks began to heat up; her face was getting hot. She knew it. She was blushing like a tomato for sure.

 _Oh my god! This is so… so embarrassing!_

"Um… Are you hurt? Did you hit your head?," he kept up his questioning, fearing that maybe she was growing sick from her injuries, due to her flushed face and her eyes widened. His expression was very distressing, with his eyes appearing soft and glossy. That final sentence snapped her back into reality and she shook her head a bit to relax herself.

"Oh. Yeah… I'm fine…," she responded, rubbing the side of her head.

He sighed of relief and his look dissolved into a more pleased appearance. Ayano couldn't contain herself within. Her entire body began to boil up some, now that he was near her. She literally could not figure out what was wrong with her. This was, after all, a new sensational feeling that he brought on to her.

"Oh, thank goodness. Here," he offered his hand towards her, "Let me help you up."

Losing focus on his gorgeous dark eyes to move to his hand, she moved a piece of her hair behind her ear and hesitantly raised her hand towards his. Her heartbeat began to crescendo enormously the closer her soft fragile hand inched closer to his. It was like she could feel the warmth of his own skin flowing to hers and once she placed it in his palm, a mysterious sense of fondness overwhelmed her very being. Ayano's stomach was turning, her hands became clammy, and she couldn't help but twitch her lips. She felt too warm, especially since it was already hot outside that she might break a sweat in front of this guy, but that would even be more embarrassing. Her breathing also turned a bit irregular, but tried to control her posture as much as possible, though it seemed almost difficult to do. Once the boy brought her up on her feet, she managed to calm down and give a small smile.

"T-Thank you…," she nervously said, peering down at his feet. She didn't know why, but for a second, she couldn't make eye contact with him after getting up. Knees were weak and a tad shaky. In addition, she cupped her hands together, but bravely scrolled back up to face the boy who caused her to tremble unusually.

"It's no problem. I really am sorry about running into you. I guess I need to be more careful next time I go out on the street."

"Oh. Yeah, me too…"

"By the way, I've seen you around the school before, but I never learned your name."

She was surprised by his comment, mostly by his interest in her name. Her heart raced more rapidly.

"Y-You… want to know m-my name?," she asked in a shy, stuttering tone.

"Yeah, why not?," he said with a tender smirk.

 _He wants… to know my name…? I wonder why… C'mon Ayano! Tell him. Don't hold back._

"I-It's Ayano. Ayano Aishi," she told him softly, without accidentally sounding hoarse. She didn't want that for a first impression.

"Ayano. That's a nice name."

"Thank you…"

"You're welcome. Oh crap! I'll surely be late for class at this rate. I'm sorry, I need to get to the school soon," he remembered dreadfully.

"Oh right! I do too," she agreed.

"Well, we better go then. I'll see you later, Ayano! Bye," he rushed off down the pathway to the high school.

Ayano watched from where she stood, the boy from her dreams, sprint away to the same location she was heading to. Looking at his back moved her as she noted his dark locks flowing in the wind. So mesmerized, she exhaled a huge amount of breath, sighing with hearts in her eyes and holding her hands against her chest. Then it occurred to her what it was. What this "unexplained" emotion really was: she was in love.

 _So, this is what love is like? Happiness in my heart? It's… amazing. It's so bizarre and yet, it's great. He's made me so happy. I wonder who he really is. Maybe… I should go and see what he's like… Maybe…_

"Hey! What took you so long?," Ayano heard a girl with long orange pigtails shouting to the boy who slows down beside her.

This definitely caught Ayano's attention. She became suddenly suspicious.

"Who is that girl?," she mumbled to herself.

"Sorry Osana. I woke up late and I had to rush to get out," he told the girl while looking down.

The girl looked angry towards Ayano's new admirer, but at the same time, she seemed to be too comfortable around him. Because of that assumption, the sense that she knew him too well, made Ayano boil up emotionally within.

"Well… Well! Next time, don't wake up late! Or next time I might not wait for you anymore! I don't want you to miss a day of school! I mean, it's not like I care about you or anything! J-Just don't be holding me up again, okay?! Baka!," she yelled at him before walking ahead.

"Uh… Okay I won't," he agreed regretfully.

Ayano now watched as the both of them took a stroll together. Those two. TOGETHER.

 _What was this? This negative feeling? It… It makes me sick…_

Seeing the duo wasn't leaving her at ease. She grinded her teeth against each other, speculating, trying to figure out, what kind of relationship do they have? Is it serious? Will it interfere with any possibilities for her and this boy she would eventually call: her Senpai?

She would not know yet, but her major focus then was to hurry to the school before the bell rings and so the teacher won't count her absent. So she shook it off temporarily, dove to snatch her dusty bag from the road and ran after them to head to the same place on a time limit. She was aware she couldn't be tardy and she wasn't going to let anything else stop her in her track.


	4. Chapter 3

Beyond the trail bordered by tall, delicate and full Sakura Trees, with their bright pink flower petals raining onto the walkway, stood the bold, strong structure of the Akademi High School, just on the other side of town. It had been known as one of the top schools in the country, for its excellent fundamentals and education standards. A place with an abundant group of individuals who strived for success every day.

Only a few minutes remained until the bell rang for class to begin and Ayano was rushing towards the entrance. The double doors seemed so far yet she was determined to get through them before the clock could strike 8:30. She picked up the pace as she approached the doors and busted through, noticing that no one was out in the halls. They were most likely in their designated classrooms by now. She was going to be late. Her teacher was also going to be disappointed again with her attendance and she couldn't afford that. She ran up a flight of stairs and had to go up another set to reach the second floor. Just as she was going to get to the door of her classroom, the intercom rang a soft dinging tune to alert the building that they are making an announcement.

"Attention students and teachers, our morning pep rally is about to begin. Please make your way to the gymnasium at this time. Thank you and have a good day," they spoke in monotone.

"W-What?! Oh my god I forgot!," she panicked out loud.

She had forgotten that the pep rally was that very morning. For what reason? She didn't care. She never cared for any of those events related to school, but she knew that if she skipped it, the teacher could potentially track her down because some of the faculty roam the halls during certain events to search for lingering students who claimed to have better things to do than to attend interesting gatherings. She had a teacher escort her back once when she chose to not participate and she was not too happy with it.

To avoid any other distractions and confrontations, she had to scurry back down the stairs. As she almost got to the bottom of the first floor again, she caught a glimpse of something familiar and hid behind the wall of the stairs. Her heart skipped a beat and her face flushed with shades of red. She took another peek and it was him. Senpai. _What was he doing here?_

It appeared to her that he too was in a rush to make it to the pep rally at the gym. Goodness, her legs became weak once more. She didn't want to act foolish around him by falling off the last steps of the stairs, so she quickly and carefully stepped down onto the flat floor, still trying to remain hidden. Ayano watched as Senpai ran towards the side to the doors that lead to the courtyard. Not wanting to lose sight of her beloved source of admiration, she chased after him as stealthy as she could to avoid him spotting her from behind him. In actuality, since they were heading for the same location, she didn't consider it stalking.

Meanwhile, a good distance from the courtyard doors, a hidden camera that faced the opening of the stairs and a bit down the direction the duo went captured their every movement. A red light flashed every other second, indicating it was recording at the time Ayano ran after Senpai, meaning something, or someone was watching.

* * *

So the pep rally was very lively but boring at the same time. As the Science Club were discussing and demonstrating their prototypes to the entire student body at the stands, Ayano had something else of interest in her eyes. She sat in the back row, far enough to not be peculiarly close to her Senpai. As much as she wanted to be right next to him, wrapped in his strong, warm and comforting arms, he didn't know her very well. Not to mention, that girl he met up with earlier was with him instead. She despised her so much during that time period. She never left her sight, along with Senpai. Something was boiling inside her. Something deep down. She grinded her teeth together as she saw the orange pigtail lightly glide against Senpai's arm. She did sit awfully near him on the bench.

 _Look at her… How dare she be next to my Senpai. I should be with him, not her… What is this I'm feeling towards her? Why am I so angry? It's almost like… I want to... Maybe…_

"Alright! Let's give a round of applause for the Science Club, who will be competing against other schools in this year's Science Competition. Good luck guys," the Headmaster announced, clapping with the crowd and dismissing the club members and their gadgets.

As the clapping continued, Ayano eventually lost focus of her crush and his female friend, distracted by the loud noises that surrounded them. The club walked to the side and the Headmaster, along with a few members of the faculty stood on the floor peering towards the school's participants, ready to say the next thing.

"Alright. I'd like to thank the clubs today for demonstrating their new exciting plans to keep Akademi High as the best school in the region," they said proudly, "And now this concludes our morning pep rally students. Everyone report to your classrooms at this time and thank you again for being here to support your classmates and your school. Go out there and make this school a better place!"

Everybody gave the final clap session then rose from their seats to head for the exit of the gymnasium. It felt very crowded for Ayano to even stand from her spot. She didn't feel like getting up right away. The less amount of people, the better to move out, but he didn't want to lose sight of Senpai, especially since he was with that girl. Who knew what she would do to him if she wasn't keeping an eye on them two. He must not disappear from her view.

Senpai and his "friend" both got up from the bleachers below and make their way with the others to their classrooms in the other building. Ayano almost lost them and hurried to catch up without being noticed. She stared hard at the back of his head; his black hair flipping as he turned his head to the side. She clearly couldn't contain herself. She lightly bit her lip while she was close enough to her crush. He was so irresistible.

 _Oh Senpai… I want to be close to you… But if only you would notice me… And not look at… Her…_

She continued to stalk him through the courtyard and the hallways, up until he stopped right in front of his classroom, where a couple of female classmates passed him up in order to enter the room. His pigtailed friend paused as well, surprised that he wasn't following her.

"Um, hello? Taro," she called him snobbishly.

"His name is Taro?," Ayano thought silently from beyond the hallway.

"What is it, Osana?," he asked inquisitively.

"Um, aren't you forgetting something?"

"I-I don't know what you're talking about?"

She gasped and shoved him with moderate strength.

"Uh, hello?! Aren't you going to walk me to my class? Like a gentleman," she complained loudly.

Ayano wondered why this girl was acting like such a-! Well, a jerk to him. She really hated seeing him being disrespected by her, but what she was more jealous of, was the short distance between her and him. If only she could be in her shoes, right then and there.

"O-Oh! I-I'm sorry Osana. I guess I assumed we were going our separate ways since your class is just across the walkway. I can do it if you wan-!," being cut off by her hand in his face.

"I don't wanna hear it! Go on! It's not like I really wanted you to be there for me or anything! It would've been nice if you…"

"W-What?"

"N-Nothing! Forget what I said! I'll go by myself! Just meet me after school so we can walk home! Baka!"

She stormed off from point A to point B, her hands were curved into fists as she stomped to the other side to go to her class. Senpai stood in confusion as his short friend left from the picture. Ayano, hidden in the sidelines, was pleased with this, very, very much. She smiled to herself, happy to see her beloved Senpai while he exhaled some of his breath away from the doorway. She melted a little, imagining about the pleasure of feeling his light breath on her skin. It tingled down her spine and it gave her goosebumps. She wandered a few steps backwards and sighed out of love. She really had a thing for that boy, but didn't know him very well. At the same time, a little voice in her mind, said she might not need to know a lot to figure that she was deeply, unbelievably, in love with him.

 _At least, that's what it seemed…_

When she returned to her spying spot, Senpai vanished. She wondered at first, where he went all of a sudden, but then recalled that he was right by his classroom, so he must've went inside by now, because school was about to finally start, and then she snapped to realize that she too needed to head to Mrs. Rino Fuka's class, who was her teacher. So after she determined that her job was done, she ran off to the set of stairs to get to the second floor, where her classroom was.

Classroom 2-1 was Ayano's destination. She busted inside, noting the other classmates were already at their desks, ready for a session.

"Ayano! Why are you late?," teacher Rino Fuka questioned with a mildly annoyed tone.

Ayano made it to her seat and removed her handbag from around her, "I'm sorry Rino Sensei. I was talking to another teacher about somethings I needed to take care of."

Hoping the lie would convince her, she sat down calmly and made eye contact with her from four desks away. Rino appeared a little skeptical towards her, but dismissed if by pulling an opened book from her desk and adjusting her glasses.

"Alright, but please. Make it to class on time."

"Understood Sensei."

"Now, open your books to page 22."

* * *

1:00 p.m. rang lunchtime. All the classes were dismissed for meal time. Ayano was the last person to leave the classroom, not in a rush to store away her handbag in her locker so she can go outside for lunch. Before she did so, she walked to the nearest bathroom down the hall to take a break. She entered and no one else was inside. She liked peaceful restroom breaks. She got into one of the phone vibrate from her skirt. She pulled it out and saw that she received a text message, but from a number she didn't know.

 **?: Hey.**

Ayano was uncertain about replying, but decided to go with it.

 **Ayano: Do I know you?**

She sent the message and waited only several seconds for the next text to emerge.

 **?: I saw you stalking an upperclassman today.**

"Huh? How? Who the hell?," she mouthed in shock.

 **Ayano: Do you have a problem with that?**

 **?: No. I just wanted to give you some information about the girl he was with. Her name is Osana Najimi. She is a childhood friend of his and she has a crush on him. She believes in the myth about the cherry tree behind the school.**

Ayano was having difficulties trying to take it in all at once. This bad yet juicy info was unbelievable to her. But her mind clicked when she read the part of the cherry tree myth.

 **Ayano: You mean the myth that if you confess your love to someone underneath that tree on a Friday, they are guaranteed to accept your confession?**

 **?: Correct. She's planning to confess to him next Friday.**

"Next Friday? That's… So close," her heart started racing, and not in the good way. She thought she was going to have a panic attack reading the texts.

 **?: You know, as unfortunate as it may sound, I would be more than happy if something bad happened to Osana-Chan.**

Ayano froze with the phone still in her hands. Her fingers couldn't move for a moment. What was this person saying? She couldn't believe her eyes.

 **Ayano: Why are you telling me this?**

 **?: I think you might be the right person that can give her what she deserves.**

 **Ayano: Who are you?**

 **?: I'm terribly sorry, where are my manners? I'm the person nicknamed "Info-Chan" at school.**

"Info-Chan?," she whispered. Then it hit her like an acorn to the head.

 **Ayano: Oh. I have heard rumors about you. You blackmail girls and sell panty shots to boys. Nobody knows your real name.**

 **?: The rumors are true.**

A pause before the next message popped up.

 **?: If you ever need a favor, text me a panty shot and I'll give you whatever support I can. If you want to know any personal information about anyone at our school, just send me a photograph of their face and I'll tell you everything that I know about them. You will not be disappointed in my work.**

"I can't believe this girl," Ayano said alone.

 **Ayano: You're disgusting.**

 **?: You're a stalker. Don't deny it, because I can see EVERYTHING. If you want my help, text me. If you don't care for it, ignore me. But just keep in mind, you have one week until your precious Senpai belongs to Osana-Chan.**

That last sentence really got to her good. She couldn't grasp the idea of someone else taking away her so called "true love". Her heart ached in pain from the image of Senpai being in love with another girl, other than her. Tears welled up in her eyes and she chocked a little. Then she received the last text message from Info-Chan that sparked something devious in her mind.

 **?: I hope you make her suffer.**

Ayano refused to respond and gulped deeply. Suddenly her hands were shaking uncontrollably. She held onto that phone so tight, if she allowed, it could shatter into pieces in her abnormally strong grip. Her mind was scrambling.

 _What must I do? What do I…?_

A group of voices gradually made their way into the bathroom and snapped Ayano back into reality, trying to restore her breathing patterns. She put her phone into her skirt again and resumed her original business in the stall before she wasted anymore time during lunch.


	5. Chapter 4

**(*Author's Note-01/02/17: I had to revise this chapter because I saw my mistake in the storyline...I hope it makes sense now*)**

* * *

The end of the school day had been reached. The bell rang and the classes were dismissed for the afternoon. While some of the students were glad to head home after a long day of slow and painful learning, some of them actually stay behind to attend their club meetings in other classrooms, with the latest they can stay is 6:00p.m., just until the faculty go around and tell them to go home.

Ayano hopped from her seat and quickly snatched her handbag from the floor right next to the leg of her desk. She hurried behind her classmates to make it to see Senpai. She didn't want to miss looking at him from behind.

"Ayano! Can I talk to you for a moment? Please," Rino called to her sternly.

She froze in her place at the doorway and groaned in her throat. She then relaxed her shoulders and spun on the ball of her feet to face her teacher, with eyes emotionally mixed with worry but carelessness. She took a few steps forward to stand next to the furthest desk of the room.

"Yes Sensei?," she wondered in monotone.

"Miss Aishi, you are aware that I have low tolerance for tardiness, right?"

"Correct."

"And according to your record, you have shown up late to class several times, am I wrong?"

"Hmm, no."

"Now, missy, I always pay attention to my students and their changes in behavior and frankly, this would be quite unacceptable in my book."

As Rino went on and on about her opinion on her student's attendance, Ayano became squeamish bit by bit. It was hard for her to stay completely still while being lectured. She knew precious time was being wasted. Senpai could be already on his way to the front school gate, going home with… With that girl!

"Osana," she muffled under her breath.

"What was that?," Rino said with an arched eyebrow.

"Oh! Nothing," Ayano silently replied.

"As I was saying, next time, try to check in on time or you will fail my class for sure," she tells her grimly as she turned away to return to her desk.

"Yes Sensei," the school girl dismissed herself from the class and as she made it out of range, she rushed to quickly find Senpai.

As her troubled student left the room, Rino shook her in disappointment.

"That girl… I hope she won't be any trouble for me."

Ayano had to play spy once she escaped the verbal clutches of her teacher, but quickly, because enough time had already gone by, meaning Senpai could be inches away from the school gate, out of her visual grasp. She couldn't bear the very thought of losing sight of her love interest, not even for a minute. Especially if he was with that _witch_. Her heart raced with worry and she picked up the pace, stomping down the steps of the stairs like she's trying to kill bugs with her shoes with no mercy.

Her mind was clouded with thoughts about him talking to Osana and then back to the phone conversation she had with the infamous Info-Chan. What was she to do about all of this? To make Osana suffer? Did that mean she had to figure out a way to keep her away from her Senpai, by hurting her? Or even kill her? _B-But how?_ Could she truly be that jealous?

She was very distracted by her contemplations that she wasn't paying attention to where she was stepping on the last part of the stairs and tripped on her own feet going down. Finally snapped back into reality, she felt herself in slow motion flying forward over the stairs and towards a dark haired student who appeared to be heading upwards. She shrieked as she made impact with the person and fell to the ground altogether. Her knees must've slightly slammed against the hard floor because she whined as she shifted her legs in an attempt to pick herself up. Suddenly, she felt something wrap themselves around her body.

"Hey! Are you alright?," a smooth deep voice spoke next to her ear.

Alarmed, she impulsively broke herself free from the clutches of the mysterious person and scurried a short distance away from them.

"W-Wait. What's the matter?," the person spoke once more, "I'm very sorry, I wasn't paying attention to where I was going."

Then Ayano, after listening to the voice and carefully registering what was happening around her blankly, she peered at the student she knocked over. Her vision was temporarily blurry but went back into focus in mere seconds. It was a boy she ran into.

"I hope you can forgive me," he continued so sincerely, rubbing the back of his head out of nervousness.

 _This boy… He… He sort of resembles Senpai… No… He is nothing like Senpai… He is… different…_

The boy had jet black hair like Senpai, but his style was altered, more flare in his hair and he wore a white bandana over his forehead, with some interesting symbols across it, but it was very difficult to read because of his bangs covering over. His eyes were like stone onyx, with a twinkle of warmth inside of them and his skin was a slightly toasted color. His worried expression grew while Ayano remained mute, not because she couldn't speak, but because she chose not to. Some of the other students passed by and around them and it felt like time was standing still for her and him.

Without warning, her heart began to beat more rapidly than usual. It sounded like drums were banging within her eardrums as every pump deepened. All the voices that surrounded her went silent and her heart was the only thing she could hear. Her cheeks unpredictably became flushed and her body was warming up. It was like losing her breath every second she sat there, puzzled by what was going on.

Despite her sore legs, she shot up, snatched her handbag that originally swung from her shoulder after the crash and sprinted towards the front of the school, leaving the boy on the floor in the dust and confused.

"Wait! Where are yo-! Hmm, I'm sorry," he said under his breath, sighing deeply before pushing himself onto his feet.

"Budo! What are you doing down there on the floor? C'mon you're gonna be late for the club!"

He zoomed up to see a couple of his peers standing on the top of the flight of stairs, stomping their feet to encourage them with enthusiasm, just like he taught them.

"Oh right! Of course, I will be there shortly. I am the president of the Martial Arts Club after all!," Budo confirmed, but not before turning his head to try and catch a glance of the girl he encountered just moments ago, but she was long gone.

* * *

Ayano panted, hidden on the other side of the gate, waiting for Senpai's presence to come through. She was collecting her thoughts when she saw him, walking with Osana by his side, of course. She sneered at the view of them together. How she despised that girl for even being that close to her crush.

 _I should be the one with him. Not her…_

But she couldn't help another thought now stuck in the back of her mind. The sight of the male student she briefly bumped into a short time ago. She couldn't get him out of her head. It was troubling to her, but remembering she needed to watch for Senpai, she snapped out of it and proceeded to stalk the duo until he got rid of the stubborn orange haired snob and then made sure he made it safely home before heading to her own home.


	6. Chapter 5

Being home alone on a Monday afternoon wasn't all bad for Ayano, especially after surviving the first day of school. Solitude could help her process through the events of the day. She wouldn't have shared it with her parents anyways, in fact, she would've kept it to herself even if they were home. Writing in her diary would be the only solution to express any of her feelings.

After silently stalking Senpai and Osana on the way home, she felt a surge of mixed emotions with every step she took towards the path to her house. It was unexplainable. Her stomach felt like it was twisted in a knot and her cheeks were flushed hot red. She knew she wasn't coming down with any sickness that she could think of at the moment. It had to have developed from the recent sight of her love interest and her new rival walking side by side. They seemed so close to one another. How frustrating it was for Ayano to see the obvious before her very eyes. Senpai's gorgeous face was glued in her mind and she smiled and sighed to the thought of his completely breath-taking features. His eyes, his lips, his hair, his nose, his teeth, his innocent sounding voice, everything was perfect to her. Her heart ached for him excruciatingly.

She was preparing her meal for dinner in a black glass bowl when she continued to daydream about her Senpai, grabbing a pair of chopsticks as her typical utensil for her rice and meat. She didn't know much about cooking, but she could manage to whip up something whenever she had to chance. After all, she did learn a few recipes from her own mother. Placing her food onto the small dining table, she peered blankly at the empty seats. She had almost forgotten about her parents' sudden departure. How eerily still and silent it was in the house. It would have been considered unnerving for a normal person. However, Ayano was not normal. She inhaled deeply and casually sat down in her chair, pulling apart her fresh chopsticks so she could eat her meal.

Ayano was halfway through her food when curiosity began to draw her attention towards her cellphone that lied next to her bowl. The strange conversation with Info-Chan early in school still dwelled in her thoughts.

 _What did this person really want from me? And why does she want me to target that girl Osana? Couldn't she do it herself? What was it about me that peeked her attention? How does she intend for me to "make her suffer"?_

Questions were still left unanswered. She reviewed the text messages again, rereading the words in every bubble as if they were part of an eye-catching story. Puzzled all over, she scanned every word with caution, but it was hard to avoid the texts about the possibility that Osana will confess her love to Senpai under the cherry blossom tree on Friday. It made her begin to shake as an unsettling chill ran down her spine. Then a scenario played in her mind:

 _Osana is standing, waiting at the spot under the tree in the back of the school. She seems nervous, anxious and ready to get something over and done. She rubs her hands together to create friction and cups them above her chest where her heart is. Her face is flushed, blushing heavily and thinking about something or someone was not helping her uneasiness. The soft pink petals from the cherry blossoms gently fall around her as a light wind blows through the air. The minutes felt like hours to her as her patience was wearing down. She had to have known that Senpai was always late no matter the circumstances. He was taking too long for comfort as her legs began to grow tired from standing and walking. She was also becoming worried that he wasn't going to show up. As time went on, she gave up waiting, sighed of sadness and tears were forming in the corner of her eyes, but as she was about to leave for home, a young man arrives right in front of her in a rush. It's Senpai. Huffing and puffing from the jog over there, he tries to catch his breath and looks up at the weeping Osana. They exchange words and it was obvious that Senpai was concerned for his best friend. She kept crying and lightly punches him in the shoulder, yelling at him for being so late. He apologizes all over the place and scratches the back of his head, begging for forgiveness._

 _Despite being angry with him, she reluctantly forgives him and wipes her tears away. Then out of a sudden urge of bravery, she stands up and purses her lips, making strict eye contact with her crush. She shouts out the words that make Ayano cringe at the thought of them: I love you. Senpai is taken aback by this statement. He gapes as his soft dark eyes widen and his mouth hangs open. Osana's face is pure tomato red and she shuts her eyes and turns away out of embarrassment while digging for something in her handbag. She pulls out a pastel pink envelope with a crimson red heart seal over the flap and presents it to him shyly. He takes a step back to see the item in her hand and silently gasps at it. She continues to worry that he could possibly not accept her token of love as she looks away from him and tears pop up in her eyes again. He smiles warmly and grabs onto the gift. Astonished by the feel of the tug, she peers up at her Senpai with her curious orange orbs. He nods his head in approval and accepts her feelings for him. The suspense was over. Her contorted frown flips into a wide ear to ear smile. She couldn't contain her excitement and she jumps for joy and wraps her arms around him tightly. They embrace for a good while before releasing in order to share a tender ki-!_

 **SNAP!**

Ayano flared her nostrils and clenched onto her bowl so firmly out of frustration. In her other hand, her chopsticks were suddenly broken. She didn't realize it until she turned to look and immediately released the pieces on the table. Luckily they were the cheap kind so she wasn't too concerned about getting in trouble for breaking them, but she was confused on why she did so. She tried to shake it off but this strange feeling was overwhelming. Was it from the scenario? She couldn't even finish it because she wouldn't dare think about Senpai pressing his lips against… Against… HERS!

She banged her balled tightly fist against the table angrily and accidentally dropped the half empty glass bowl on the floor, shattering in pieces and food flew everywhere. Her staggered breathing was the result of a new emotion that would eventually consume her very soul. Ayano was learning one of the most dangerous emotions of all: **RAGE**.

Her eyes turned dark and opaque. There was no sign of life in them at the moment, or maybe anymore. Her breath patterns changed rapidly and the face of Osana clouded her mind in blood red.

"She doesn't deserve him. She does NOT deserve him!," she shouted to herself, listening to the echoes of her angered voice bounce off the walls.

Her teeth grinded against each other that the pressure traveled to her head and soon she began to bite her lip hard and busted the skin. She ignored the pain and the little blood running down to her chin while thinking about the orange-haired girl with the long ponytails who was in the way of her and her true love.

"I can't allow this to happen. I need to get rid of her, one way or another," she growled while peering down at the dirty floor and slightly trembling throughout her body.

She quickly jumped out of her chair and wiped the blood from her mouth with her hand, avoiding the mess in the dining room so she can go wash up in the bathroom and head for bed. She made a note to remind her to clean it up the next day because she wasn't feeling it that night, at least not with bad thoughts swarming in her head.


	7. Chapter 6

"I am so ready to go. I'm starving," a girl in the class said as the final bell to let out the school rang.

As the students were rising from their desks, Ayano gazed vacantly at her phone screen, reading her old messages once again. When most of her classmates were gone, she decided to get up from her desk and pack up her things to leave. She was exiting through the doorway of the classroom while remaining distracted with her device when something rammed into her side and knocked the phone right out of her hand. She stumbled a few steps to avoid falling over and kept her balance. When she looked up to see what hit her, it was him. The boy from yesterday who did the same thing last time.

"Oh my gosh! I'm so sorr-!," he mostly apologized before he froze in awe and lightly blushed, "O-Oh hey. You're that girl I bumped into yesterday, right?"

Ayano wasn't sure what to say. She stood still with her eyes wide open and her cheeks were glowing light pink for some unknown reason. Unexpectedly, her heartbeat picked up speed as she stared at him with no response.

"Um, hey are you alright? I didn't hurt you or anything, did I?," he asked with much concern in his tone.

She finally snapped back into reality and shook her head to answer.

"Oh okay good. I don't know how I managed to run into you like that again. I need to be more cautious next time," he commented in a slightly nervous voice.

"Me too," she mumbled under her breath.

The awkward silence formed between them as no one had anything else to say at the moment. Students were passing by as they stood face-to-face for a minute until Ayano realized that her cellphone was still on the floor in danger of being stepped on. She turned to look for it and the boy noticed and went to grab it before she could.

 _Wow. He's fast._

He snatched it before a classmate planted their shoe on top of it, which caused them to trip and stumble over him.

"Hey! Watch where you're going Budo," they hissed at him as they stormed away.

"Sorry," he said.

 _Budo. Is that his name? How interesting…_

The approach made her very nervy when he was closer to her by mere inches. Their dark yet soft eyes met and it felt like they were the only ones in the hallway for that short amount of time. The sounds surrounding them were blocked and deafening. This feeling she had deep inside was quite troubling.

 _What am I feeling? This boy is nothing but a nuisance, how could my heart be beating loudly as he speaks to me? What is going on with me?_

"Here. I bet you were missing this," he said while gesturing to return her phone.

Her empty expression came back as she strongly peered at the mobile device. When she carefully grabbed and examined it, she didn't notice any signs of damage on the screen or on the back. Lucky it was still in good condition despite that fall. She sighed and stored it safely inside her bag.

"Thanks," she said in monotone.

"You're welcome," he smiled softly.

Something triggered in her chest once she gazed at that attractive boy-ish smile. Weak knees and sweaty palms were highly unexpected of Ayano. Attempting to keep her composure around him was not easy and she worried he would begin to notice her acting strangely towards him, but it was too obvious.

"Are you okay? You look flushed. Do you have a fever?," he asked her as he inched closer. He hovered his hand over her forehead to feel her temperature but she hesitated and backed away. Without warning, she dashed past him and avoided contact out of sudden uneasiness.

"Hey! Wait! I never got your name. Who are you?," he shouted in a hurry.

She immediately halted at the end of the hall and shortly panted before slowly turning to face him once more. She could see the confused expression on his face even from afar. She had two choices to pick between: either revealing her name to him since he was curious and apparently interested or simply walk away and ignore his request, but what seemed right to her? These feelings were too much to endure. Acting on her instinct, she sped off towards the flight of stairs and headed downward. She also had forgotten to see if Senpai had already left the school, so she had to hurry. She clearly had no business with this Budo guy.

"W-Wait! Where are you going? Don't run," he exclaimed following her direction.

"What's her deal? She's so cute but so weird," he thought as he shuffled down the steps of the stairs.

Budo had no idea why he was mysteriously drawn to this girl but something in his head told him to chase after her and find out. His instincts were charged and determined as he made it down to the first floor of the building, trying to catch up with her. When he tried to breathe regularly, he managed to get a glimpse of Ayano leaving through the doorway. He pumped himself up and sprinted towards the entrance hoping to get up to her and get her name.

However, as soon as he arrived to the checkpoint, she was out of sight.

"Huh? W-Wha-! Damnit…," he muffled disappointedly. He was too late. Believed that she had already left to go home for the day, he sluggishly walked back inside to stop by his locker before heading to the Martial Arts Club.

In his mind, he was pretty bummed that he wasn't fast enough to reach her before she left the property. He really wanted to know her name at the very least. Besides the rush from jogging down the stairs to the front of the school, his heart started slightly aching in a very unusual manner. She must've made him feel this way, but why? He didn't know her that well. He may have seen her sometimes during the earlier years of school, but never got a chance to talk to her. He did note that she seemed like a loner throughout her school career due to never actually seeing her interact with the other students. This girl was simultaneously peculiar and irresistible. He turned the lock around to add the correct combination for it and once it clicked, he pulled the latch that kept it closed shut and opened the locker door wide open.

"Hmm? What is this?," he spotted a piece of paper folded and lying flat on top of one of his books.

He took it out and unfolded it to discover something written inside of it.

 **Ayano Aishi**

Budo became astonished by two informing words. How and when? How did she know where his locker was? Despite how puzzling it seemed that the time, the fact that he successfully was able to get her name clouded any minor suspicion. His frown surely flipped upside down, fist pumped the air in excitement and quickly shut his locker so he could hurry and change for the club, practically skipping along the way.

Meanwhile, Ayano was well hidden behind the side of the row of lockers with her camera phone out for a picture. She was able to snap a photo of Budo so she could send it to Info-Chan for additional information on him.

 _I'm not sure why I'm doing this or why I would trust someone like Info-Chan, but my curiosity seems to have taken over my thoughts. Hopefully I get something good out of it._

In reality, when she ran out through the metal double doors, she dashed to the side and hid behind the crack of the open door, but not without remembering to a fast note with her name on it and slipping it through the slots of Budo's locker. She recalled seeing him stop at that particular one so she was sure it belonged to him and she appeared to have hit the jackpot with the guess. She wouldn't typically give anybody her name since she preferred to be alone, but he was different. She knew it in her gut.

All she could see was the backside of Budo before she sent the photo to Info-Chan via text message, put up her phone and headed home, praying that she might be able to see Senpai on the way as her daydreaming started up again.


	8. Chapter 7

"Budo Masuta," she spoke his name softly past her light pink lips.

Everything she needed to know about the boy she continued to accidentally see was delivered in a mass file through a text message straight from the source of Info-Chan. Photos, stats and additional information was provided for Ayano to read for herself, including who he has a crush on.

"There's nothing in the slot. Guess he doesn't have an interest in anyone," she noted.

It did little to bother her, but at the same time, there were question marks in the space that was meant to have an answer. She texted Info-Chan in curiosity, wondering what the question marks imply. It took only a few seconds before a ping was sounded and Ayano opened the message.

 **Info-Chan: For an unknown reason, I could not verify who he has a crush on, however, the information you collect updates often so try to keep in touch for any new juicy details on the profiles.**

 _Odd. Unknown reason?_

She read the rest of the information on her phone and saw that his defense level was of a martial arts master and that he was the leader of the Martial Arts Club. He could be trouble if Ayano had to take care of Osana, but the chances of him popping up whenever it happened would be completely coincidental, so she shook her head and finished her research by tossing her phone on the bed and heading for the bathroom to take a bath.

* * *

 _This scent… It's a lot like… The smell of grass?_

 _Ayano rose to find herself lying on the damp ground at her school on a clear and bright day. She was also in her school uniform._

" _Wait. I thought I was at home in bed. How did I end up here? And when did I change into my uniform?," she wondered so puzzledly._

 _Scanning the area, she noted how empty the courtyard was at that moment. None of the other students were present and no teachers were patrolling. It was oddly peculiar to Ayano._

" _Is it early? Or maybe I'm too early to school," she mumbled as she picked herself up from the grass and brushed off the dirt from her shirt and skirt._

 _She gazed at the giant school clock above and read that it was 27 minutes past 7 in the morning._

" _That can't be right. Let me check my phone," she thought while pulling out her cellphone and turning the lock screen on with the home button. The large text on the clock there read exactly what the school time was: 7:27 a.m. A minute barely passed when she glanced up again to make a double take. She wasn't sure what to think from then on. She wasn't even sure how she got to the school without remembering when and how she traveled there. It was giving Ayano a slight headache._

 _Then she felt her phone vibrate and ding in her hand. When she looked at the screen, it lit up with a notification from Facebook, so she unlocked it and clicked to see what it was about. In her news feed, a bunch of comments were popping up, stating something about the girl Osana. Intrigued, she continued to read ahead, praying it had nothing to do with her crush Senpai._

 _The first post was from Taro Yamada, aka Senpai and it said, "My good friend_ _ **Osana Najimi**_ _had moved away to another city yesterday. I know it's only been a day, but I will miss her. I hope she likes it there."_

 _The look on Ayano's face lit up so much that the mighty sun couldn't compete with her. Her smile curved completely and she silently jumped for joy to the thought of Osana no longer living in their area and going to their school. It only meant one thing: there was an open opportunity to make Senpai hers!_

 _She was so excited she didn't care to read the rest of the comments that follow after Senpai's. Now she needed to come up with a quick plan to win his heart since there was no one who could possibly get in the way, or at least that's what she thought._

 _Just as she was about to walk into the school building to investigate some more, a tall dark figure was standing on the other side of the courtyard. Their back was in her view and from the appearance of their clothing, they resembled a male student's uniform, but who could it be? There were no other students there and it was quite odd and coincidental that right after she found out the news about Osana that someone would pop up out of nowhere. She had to take a closer look. She carefully walked towards them without causing any alarms, narrowing her dark eyes to get a better look. As the distance got shorter, the details became clearer, and then it triggered the light bulb in her mind._

" _S-Senpai?," she whispered hesitantly._

 _The person before her was indeed her Senpai, oh how beautiful he was in her eyes like sparkles surrounded him and made every angle look amazing. She squirmed and couldn't contain herself._

" _Senpai!," she shouted as she ran towards him with arms wide open, preparing for the massive embrace she was going to give him. The feeling of butterflies in her stomach were extremely high and it seemed like everything was going in slow motion. Everything around her was not important as she was in range of her love interest, it was just her and Senpai._

 _Ayano swung her arms around the boy and squeezed tightly, enjoying the warmth of his body from behind him. The touch of his school jacket was such a pleasant feeling for her and the scent of it gave her huge shivers down her spine. It was like going into the sensation of ecstasy with him in her grasp. This was her wish. This was her dream come true. She had her Senpai._

" _Oh Senpai. You're all mine now. I couldn't have asked for a better day than this. I love you Taro-Kun," she sweetly purred to him. She didn't want to let go._

" _I love you too Ayano-Chan," their smooth deep voice replied softly._

 _Something about that voice was off. A red flag triggered in her mind and it was very troubling. They sounded familiar, but it didn't sound like him. It didn't sound like Senpai at all._

 _She loosened up and gazed at the back of his head, confused and greatly curious at who this person really was on the other side. She knew she heard that voice before but couldn't come up with a name._

" _Who the hell is this?," she wondered, "Who are you?"_

" _It's me," he answered as he slowly turned his body around to reveal the face that she desperately needed to identify. Once he was in full view, she was taken aback and let go immediately._

" _Your Senpai," he added with an innocent grin on his face with his eyes closed._

" _W-Wait. B-Budo?!," she stuttered in shock._

 _He became more relaxed and his soft dark eyes were gleaming down at her so sweetly, so genuine at that. She was speechless, wasn't sure what to do or say. She took one step back and suddenly tripped backwards and was quickly falling to the ground._

Ayano shot up from her bed and panted heavily. Her body temperature was high and small drops of sweat were running down the temple of her head. She wiped her head dry and brushed her fingers through her messy black hair. The room was either pretty toasty or perhaps it was the dream she woke up from that startled her. Her breathing gradually returned to normal once she started to calm down and realized that she was in her bedroom again. A sigh of relief escaped her lips as she grabbed her bedsheets and lied back down on her fluffy pillow.

Her mind wandered and made her feel very restless for a good while. It was indeed a very strange dream. It wasn't exactly a nightmare, but it was unexpected.

"Why was he in my dream? Why did he replace Senpai? What is the deal?," she pondered quietly, her mind was scrambling with questions.

What was there for her to feel about that scene? It was very puzzling and she wouldn't be able to sleep properly until she could resolve it, but what was there to solve if there was no real emotion flowing through her body? Being the way she is has made it hard to feel certain things at times and with this other boy in the picture, she doesn't know whether to worry about it or push it to the side and focus on Senpai. But there's something about Budo that intrigues her deeply, she can't get him out of her mind. What was she going to do with him? She hardly knew the guy, then again she barely knew Senpai but he was a different story.

What was she to do? She would put her curious mind on hold as she finally drifted back to sleep in hopes that Senpai will actually appear in her dreams.


	9. Chapter 8

*Chapter 8*

 **Info-Chan: Only one day left.**

 **Ayano: So it seems…**

 **Info-Chan: What sort of action will you take?**

Ayano had to think about it for a moment. The confusion clouded her thoughts and there was still nothing she could answer with on the matter.

 **Ayano: I'm still not sure what you would like for me to do about the girl. What are your intentions?**

 **Info-Chan: It's as simple as I instructed before: ensure that something bad happens to Osana. Get rid of her.**

The message was so cold that it gave Ayano a major chill down her spine. The phrase "Get rid of her" imprinted in her mind and echoed in a haunting tone.

 **Ayano: Are you suggesting that I… Kill her?**

 **Info-Chan: Use your imagination. Be creative. I will not give any suggestions as there are many possibilities to choose from. As much as I would desire to give my opinion on what you should do, I'd much more enjoy seeing what you're capable of.**

 **Ayano: How despicable of you. Why is it that you'd rather have me take care of your dirty work?**

 **Info-Chan: I'll be waiting for your decision tomorrow. Good Luck.**

"Damn her!," Ayano shouted to herself in the middle of lunchtime on that Thursday before the so called "assignment day." She was sitting on a bench on the rooftop digging into her Bento while keenly eyeing Senpai and Osana eating their lunch together from a distance. Her heart began to pound trying to think of a plan to achieve her objective without getting into any trouble and Info-Chan was no help.

"How does she expect me to take on this task without ideas? This is insane," she mumbled in the middle of chewing her food.

Usually she wouldn't follow orders from anyone with mysterious circumstances, but there was something about this mission that appealed to Ayano more than any other petty requests: it involved a rival of love and they were in between her and her Senpai.

She simply couldn't refuse.

The clock on her phone revealed it was almost time to head back to class, so she wrapped up the remainder of her meal and began to head back to class, but not without catching a sparkly last glimpse of Senpai.

 _He is so handsome and amazing! I wish I could eat lunch with him every day for the rest of our lives… One day my love. Someday soon…_

* * *

A hot relaxing bath after a long day of school, studying and stalking Senpai is a well-deserved treat. Ayano unwrapped her pastel yellow bathrobe, untied her hair band and slowly hopped into the steaming bathtub, embracing the heat that grasped the surface of her skin and surrounded her entirely. She exhaled and leaned back in the tub, lightly closing her eyes shut to calm her nerves.

While soothing her body, her mind began to contemplate about the recent events so far since the school year started.

 _My parents are still absent, so I've already been on my own for about a week, but it's not all bad. I can manage this lifestyle for a while longer. It's surprisingly peaceful around here. No parents to bombard me with multiple questions about my first week of school or if I made any friends or if there are any boys I li-! Love… Like Senpai…_

 _Ooh~ Taro Yamada… His name brings out the butterflies that like to flutter in my stomach. There's just so much to love about that boy. I don't care if it's only been a week, he's incredible. Those gentle eyes, black as night hair, soft looking skin, and those juicy lips… He is the one for me, I just know it._

 _As far as I know, there is only one obstacle in my way, and that is Miss Redhead herself: Osana Najimi. Her name sends surges of annoyance through my veins..._

Ayano sat up as she dwelled on the girl who was awfully too close for comfort to her Senpai. The water swished and splashed against the edges of the tub from her movements as her fists clenched into a ball automatically, triggered from her unpleasant thoughts. The steam and heat from the both water only intensified against her skin when mixed with her sudden anger towards the classmate.

"Why is she haunting me?," she shouted out loud, her coarse tone echoing across the tile walls.

She panted as her head got hotter and her heart raced like she ran a marathon. She slammed her fists into the water and made a wet mess over the edge of the tub carelessly. She went for another round and caused more ruckus as she knocked over the products that sat near the edges. Finally, she slammed her left hand against the faintly cold tile wall, slightly scratching her short nails on the smooth surface, like she wanted to cause damage to it, pretending it was her enemy.

"I need to get rid of this problem. I want to get rid of her. I want… To kill her," she mumbled through her gritted teeth.

 _Do I? Do I really want to kill her? An absolute stranger who hasn't personally done wrong to me? Will it make things right? I… I just don't know…_

She became conflicted deep in her mind. She wasn't sure if the words she spat out were even genuine. This was indeed so new to her. All this time, she had mostly been so emotionless and oblivious that anything relevant did not bother her one bit. Nothing could crack her mental and emotional shell, not even her parents, until now. This girl had clearly brought out the bad in her and she wasn't going to let it defeat her very being. She wasn't going to let her win the heart of her precious Senpai. She was going to do whatever she could to stop her.

"At all costs," she added grimly under her breath, her subtle dark eyes grew dull and flashed red while the shampoo bottle previously knocked over creepily leaked over the soaking wet floor.


	10. Chapter 9

*Chapter 9*

A rumbling noise alarmed Ayano in the middle of her sleep next to her head. When she flew open her eyes to check in the darkness, she noticed her phone screen was lit up for a short moment. Curious enough, she slowly reached for the device laying on her nightstand and disconnected it from the charger since it was already on full battery. She then proceeded to see what the notification was once she entered her passcode. As she did so, she checked the time at the top of the screen, which read 5 o'clock in the morning. _What could bother me this early?_

After clicking on the message app with a red bubble above it, the page with all her text messages appeared and a familiar name was in bold letters at the very top of the list.

"Info-Chan. What does she want now?," she groaned softly as she went into the private messaging column between them.

 **Info-Chan: Today's the day my dear. :-)**

 **Ayano: Is it Friday already?**

 **Info-Chan: Yes, and if you want to start putting your plan in motion, then it is time to rise and shine. It would be best to arrive at school early, when it barely opens at 6.**

 **Ayano: Do I have a choice?**

 **Info-Chan: You can either do as you please and lose the potential love of your life, or do as I say, complete the mission and still have a chance to keep your Senpai. The choice is really up to you.**

As much of a pain she was to Ayano, she knew she could somewhat trust her gut instincts on this mysterious being, especially since this situation involves a very stubborn bug to smash under her foot. Although she wasn't entirely sure that Osana would propose and confess her feelings to Senpai this very day, she didn't want to take a risk and witness it happening before her very eyes because she wasn't willing to take on the mission assigned to her. It was time to take matters into her own hands.

 **Ayano: Just let me write the letter and I'll be there.**

 **Info-Chan: Good choice. Good Luck. I should be hearing from you soon.**

 **Ayano: Alright. Bye.**

She creepily crawled out of bed, went into the bathroom to take care of her hygiene business and got dressed in her school uniform as casual as possible. Once she fixed her hair into a ponytail nice and tight, she went to her desk to retrieve a piece of paper and a black pen. She walked to the kitchen so she could make herself breakfast and placed the items on the table for a moment to get food.

"I'll probably just make toast. It's quick enough," she thought as she pulled out the toaster from one of the cabinets, placing it onto the countertop.

She grabbed the half-full loaf of white bread, took out two slices and placed each one in its own slot, finally pulling the small black lever downward to start it up. While pulling out a glass and a milk carton for a drink, she had to think thoroughly about what she was going to say in the pretty pink note. There were a couple of options to approach when trying to lure Osana into a figurative corner and she needed to be clever without giving off red flags too easily. That was to be the first time she would actually do something seemingly dreadful, but the approach required extra care and planning. Info-Chan was no help at all and her imagination was limited since she doesn't care to do much with anyone or anything. This letter needed to persuade Osana to walk into a different direction and leave herself open for Ayano to "go for the kill".

"Should I leave it anonymous? Or does she have any friends that she's close to other than-! Senpai… Senpai! Maybe I should pretend it's from him. That will surely grab her attention. But I'm not sure if she could recognize his handwriting," she thought curiously, "Just in case."

Ayano texted Info-Chan to see if she had any file or an exact copy of Taro's signature and handwriting to forge into Osana's letter. It took a few minutes for the toast to pop out and for the hopeful message to ding on her phone with the information. She unlocked her phone and to her advantage received a couple of document files that she downloaded on her phone and observed precisely. She enlarged the picture and studied every word and detail of the hand strokes. Her cheeks flushed as she took a bite out of her toast imagining Senpai writing on those sheets of paper with his attractively masculine pale hands. Boy, did she wish she was the pen he grasped so tightly those days. To feel his warm skin wrapped around hers. To know that the only thing he should touch is her. The daydream made everything tingle inside her body and couldn't help but sigh of admiration for the upperclassman.

However, seeing how she shouldn't waste any more time mind-violating Senpai, she shook herself back into reality and began copying his handwriting on the one sheet she had under her arm. She tested her abilities for about seven minutes before realizing she needed to grab a few more sheets to practice on and to do the final draft of the Osana letter.

"I need to be convincing. Pretending to be Senpai seems slightly extreme, but it must be done," she whispered to herself as she retrieved more paper and sat back at the table.

She inhaled deeply and exhaled slowly as she mentally prepared for the carefully detailed letter she was about to write.

"She must be stopped, like I said before, at all costs," she added sternly narrowing her dark eyes. The red shine reflected once again in her iris displaying the beginning of the evil brewing within her very soul.

* * *

Ayano made it to school before 6:30 a.m. At first she thought she wasn't going to finish the letter in time, but luckily she jotted down all she needed to say in Senpai's imaginary voice and had it in her bag for delivery. It would take a while before some of the students would start to arrive for whatever reason, so she needed to take care of the first few steps as soon as possible.

She pushed past the double doors and made it to the hallway of lockers in the front of the school. Of course as she expected, the section was empty, no sign of life anywhere, which is what she preferred. Grabbing her cellphone for assistance, she unlocked it to access the information on Osana's locker number and combination. Every step she took on the tile floor down the quiet room echoed and bounced off the walls, clicking underneath her shoes. She scanned for the matching numbers of the locker, eyeing the metal labels carefully since they were kind of small. It only took a minute until she spotted the exact set of numbers as it showed on the picture on her phone. She focused her eyes on the combination lock like as if she could unlock it with her mind, but unfortunately, she has no such powers.

"This is it. Osana's locker," she told herself silently.

Even as she was all about getting it over with and tempted to start figuring out the combination, Ayano suddenly paused her hand right above the lock. A random thought came up before she could act out the plan she already had in store.

 _Should I put the letter in there now? It might be too early to try because how would Senpai have been able to slip it in if they're with each other all the time? It already disgusts me that they're together a lot… I could just rip those stupid ponytails off her he-!_

"Ayano. He-!," a deep voice startled her from behind, instinctively enabling her to thrust her elbow back into something seemingly soft. A loud and sudden sound followed after along with a thump on the floor.

Ayano hastily turned her body around and prepared for a fight with her hands clenched into fists, also keeping her legs and feet firm on the ground. But once she examined the person who snuck up from behind, her eyes slightly opened more and grew softer. She slowly let her guard down but not all the way, since she still felt the need to be cautious even around "him".

"Agh! My stomach…," Budo groaned grasping his abdomen while on the floor.

"I-It's you," she said in a surprised tone. She kneeled down to the same level as him to get a better look.

"Boy, you're a pretty strong girl. As they say, looks can be deceiving," he commented, catching himself after the blow.

"I would've thought the Martial Arts Master could evade that," she said.

"Huh? H-How did you know I was?"

"It's actually quite obvious. Budo, what are you doing here?," she questioned him in monotone.

"I could ask you the same thing," he pulled a smirk as he finally shook the pain off and kneeled with her, "It's seems a bit early for you to be showing up at school. In fact, I've never seen you arrive this early before."

"I just… Just didn't feel like staying home this morning," she hesitated, starting a lightly blush.

"Why? Are you alright? Are you having problems with your parents?"

"My parents aren't home. They're overseas."

Ayano refused to make complete eye contact with him. She wasn't sure why she was having any trouble casually talking with him all of a sudden. She just couldn't do it.

"Oh. I see. Well, is there something else bothering you? Your cheeks are turning red. You look flushed. Do you have a fever?," he continued to investigate.

Budo reached his hand out to try and feel her temperature, but she swiftly grabbed his surprisingly warm hand and held it tightly in hers. The action she took made her flush even more that her head was about to transform into a tomato. Her heart began beating rapidly and uncontrollably being near him. Her mind was going everywhere and she couldn't contain herself at the moment.

"Ay- Ayano?," he called to her soft toned, "What's wrong? You're not sick are you?"

He carefully moved closer to her and was merely inches away from her face. His deep dark eyes innocent and concerned as he gazed upon hers so wearily. This put Ayano's nervous level higher and maybe even unbearable. She glanced and noticed how uncomfortably close he was to her and fell back on her bottom startled and let go of his hand.

"N-No! I-I mean, no. I'm fine. It's only a bit toasty in here," she lied miserably.

"Oh, well, if you say so. But anyway, I wanna add that I'm actually impressed with your swift defenses. We could use someone like you in the Martial Arts Clu-!," he paused as Ayano scrambled and stormed off down the hall, "H-Hey! Wait! Where are you going? At least consider it," he shouted as she vanished, out of sight.

"Please," he added under his breath.

Budo was greatly puzzled by her actions, but tried not to dwell on it too much. He merely thought she was simply a very shy girl, which he also found appealing and adorable. His cheeks turned rosy from the assumptions and hoped in his mind that she would consider his offer to join the club to see her again. To get to know her better through the club activities. He rose from the cold floor and headed for the Martial Arts Club classroom to work on the day's exercises and lessons.

Ayano hid inside the girls' bathroom to recover from her embarrassing scene with Budo. She panted and stared straight into the long mirror, brushing back the tiny strands of hair floating on top of her head.

"What was that about? Really?," she spoke to herself out loud.

She still couldn't comprehend what was going through her mind and body when she was around him. In fact, it almost felt similar to when she's around Senpai, but it was certainly different.

 _What is this hold he has on me? What is so special about him? I don't understand! He's just some other guy that has been popping up recently. He is not my priority. Isn't he?_

Completely conflicted, she paced the floor struggling with not only the Budo situation, but when to slip the fake Senpai letter into Osana's locker. Obviously, she hesitated to do so because it seemed too soon. However, she needed to figure out when as soon as possible. She couldn't afford to lose a single moment when it came down to her lovely Senpai as her destined prize.

"Maybe I can deliver it during lunch? Ah no. They'll most likely be together for that too. How the hell is this going to work? Wait a minute! How could I have forgotten?!"

An imaginary lightbulb burned bright above her head as she remembered something very important. Osana was in the same class as her!

 _How could I have completely been so oblivious? She sits in the same class as me. Meaning, I need to do it when she and Senpai separate from each other. But, what if she doesn't go to her locker at all for the rest of the day? Or would Senpai follow her everywhere? Of course, she would have to be alone when she delivers the first love note into Senpai's locker. I must stalk her. Watch her every move today, even if it means I'll be late to class. I must put a stop to her, once and for all._

She shook off whatever nervous vibes she had from earlier and sighed to calm down emotionally. Her stone cold face came back and she remained firm for a period of time before the other students arrived. Mission mode had started and her concentration was vital. Objective: eliminate the threat.


	11. Chapter 10 (Part 1)

***Chapter 10 (Part 1)***

Like a stealthy ninja, she stalked her target Osana the majority of the day. Around the time that everyone normally showed up to school, she watched like a hawk for her potential love and her enemy, who obviously were walking together down the pathway towards the gate of the school. It disgusted her deeply, having to bite her lip at times to keep her from growling out loud from the sight of them.

Her window of opportunity opened when she saw that Senpai handed Osana a small black book that supposedly belonged to his little sister. He told her that it was very precious to her and he recommended that his friend read it too because it was a good read. Despite making rude remarks towards the idea of it like always, Osana accepted the book and promised to take good care of it and to return it once she was done. This was the first sabotage effort Ayano made possible. Senpai headed to his classroom to take care of some assignment work he needed to finish while Osana decided to head for the courtyard to chill before class started.

Shortly after, while Osana was distracted and had carelessly left the book on the edge of the fountain to stretch and walk around, Ayano casually made her way over without looking suspicious and pretended to accidentally bump the book with her bag into the water. She acted oblivious and headed off like nothing happened. She made sure there were no witnesses to her act as she eyed the other lingering students near the area. Surprisingly, no one noticed anything unusual, much to Ayano's advantage.

Ayano hid for a moment to see Osana return to her original spot where she had the book. When she peered over and into the fountain, she took a quick step back and dove into the leafy water to retrieve the completely soaked object. The water dripped off the hardcover like a mini stream over the concrete and onto her uniform. She was very distressed and attempted to dry it out by waving it around in the air, but her expression gave away what she already knew. She screwed up and ruined Senpai's little sister's treasured book. She walked away with her head hanging low and her eyes weary with a deep frown.

"Yes! Senpai will be disappointed that his precious sister's possession got damaged after trusting it in the wrong hands. We'll see how he reacts once she returns it to him," Ayano thought to herself with a subtle grin across her neutral pink lips.

She was pleased at her progress, but she also had to remind herself that it might not be enough. If she had done more in the beginning of the week, maybe today's results would be extremely satisfying, but perhaps by miracle chances, she can make a difference now before the end of school. Before the moment that could shatter her hopes and dreams, could become a reality.

She followed her to class and she glanced every once in a while from her desk to indulge in Osana's sad expression the entire time. Ayano couldn't exactly put her finger on why she enjoyed seeing her miserable, but she got giddy inside knowing she managed to make it like this, for the sake of driving Senpai away from his supposed best friend. It was cruel, but she deserved it in Ayano's mind. No one should stand between her and her love, even if they're fully unaware of the reason.

* * *

Lunch time came around and as she planned, Ayano stalked Osana as she went to meet up with Senpai at the rooftop. She held the recently damaged book in her shaky pale hands tightly, almost afraid to even give it back to him. What would he think now?

Senpai was already sitting on the white bench he preferred each time he was up there to eat. He alternated with that spot and the fountain in the courtyard. He began to dig into his bento when he looked up to see Osana approach him. The familiar sweet smile formed with chopsticks between his lips. Ayano hid in the corner of the tall piece of building across the double doors to be out of sight during the conversation.

"Oh, hey Osana. What's up? Did you get a chance to read the book?" he started to mention with a pleasant look on his face. He also sounded like he had food in his mouth.

 _Aw… Senpai's gorgeous smile…_

"Um, Taro. I h-hate to tell you this, but… Something h-happened to the book," she handed him hesitantly, avoiding eye contact with him.

Senpai chewed his food slowly until his dark eyes scrolled down to his currently damaged book. He swallowed hard and quickly put down his bento without tossing it over on the bench. He stood up from his seat and peered down at his possession.

"Wha-!" he carefully retrieved the wet book from her grip, examining the entire outer surface before gently peeling open the damp pages.

His eyes worryingly tried to flip a couple of pages until he accidentally ripped the edge of one and released the grip from his fingers. The paper was deeply soaked through the material. The words appeared unaffected, at least for now. He slowly closed the book to prevent any further damage and squeezed his hands over it.

"Osana… How… How did this happen…?!" he questioned trying not to be too loud to attract attention to them.

"I-I don't know… I-It was fine when I had it at first, but then when I-! W-When I…," she stuttered heavily, her citrine colored eyes shaking as her lips quivered. She cupped her hands and hung her head low.

"What? What did you do?" he furrowed his black eyebrows. His happy expression melted in the moment.

"Please don't be mad Senpai, but I… I read it for a little bit before school started, but I took a break and… I left it on the edge of the courtyard fountain so I could walk around and stretch…" she timidly explained.

"Osana…" he groaned softly.

"W-What? I-I have no idea how it fell over into the pool of water! I didn't see anything or anyone near it! I'm sorry…" she apologized.

Senpai was speechless for a minute. His face transcended into a bittersweet look. Seeing his book, the one his little sister actually gave him as a gift, soiled with a minimal chance of recovery clearly devastated him a bit. Osana could sense it as she wanted to look into his dark orbs for forgiveness, but felt worried that he'd avoid her now that she told him what happened.

Ayano, watching from the distance, was relishing at the view as she began digging into her bento. She originally wasn't planning to eat while she spied on the duo, but she had time on her hands so she proceeded to please her hunger. She could already tell that things between the two were already beginning to sour for the day and she couldn't be more excited about it. It was all going according to plan.

However, it wasn't over yet. She still had the rest of the school day to observe and react to Osana's actions. It frustrated her a little since it seemed like things weren't getting better any faster, but like they say, good things come to those who wait and Ayano was desperately determined to get it right, no matter the cost or speed. She dipped into her food while eyeing her targets without missing with her chopsticks.

"I can't believe it… Osana. I trusted you with this. You were supposed to take care of it. You knew it was dear to me. Hanako is going to be very upset about this," Taro told her deeply.

 _Hanako? That has to be his sister's name._

"Look, I said I was sorry. I don't know what more to tell you! It was an honest accident," Osana tried to cover herself desperately.

"Yeah, well…" he said still bummed and staring hardcore at the book, "I'm gonna go somewhere else. I need to be alone right now."

Osana was surprised as he gathered his belongings while still latching on to his book. She pouted with her eyes struggling to focus as she watched him prepare to leave her alone.

"W-Where are you going?! W-What's the big deal? It's just a STUPID BOOK!" she exclaimed absentmindedly.

Ayano froze from the sound of those words echoing through the air and into her ears. Taro froze with shock as well. His lips curved into a deep frown from hearing his best friend say those exact words about that particular book.

"Well… I see what you really think about it. Even as I told you how much it meant to me. Goodbye Osana," he growled as he grabbed his things and stormed off to the double doors.

"W-Wait…! Senpai! That's not what I meant! I-I didn't mean it! Taro…" she whined for him, but he refused to listen.

He ignored her and went through the metal doors. Osana had her arm reaching out to his direction, but once he was out of sight, she lowered it and let it hang by her side. Her eyes grew glossy and watery as tears formed and creeped out of the corners of them. She buried her face into her hands as she went to sit on the bench and sob.

"Aw, what a pity. I almost feel bad for her. Almost," Ayano spoke softly, capping it with a chuckle in her throat.

Ayano knew that Senpai would be slightly sad about his book being wet, but did not expect for Osana to spit out something ugly about it in the heat of the moment. It definitely caught her off guard. It was like the pawn was playing itself without her direction and paid off very well. Ayano couldn't hold back the sinister grin that manifested across her mouth.

"Hey Ayano!" a male voice shouted next to her turned face.

She flinched and flung her bento out of her hands as she was startled from the surprise sound. It happened so fast that she swung her head around to see who it was and her heart began to frantically race out of her chest. When she got a good look at the person, her pale cheeks flushed heavily.

"B-Budo?!" she shockingly called without being too loud.

Budo was coated in rice and other food she had in her box. He clearly unanticipated the toss reaction her, yet he was supposed to be great at reflex moves. Was it different with her?

"Aw damn! I-I'm sorry Yan-Chan! I didn't mean to frighten you," he said as he observed his clothes.

 _Now he's addressing me as Yan-Chan? I don't know how I feel about that. What's his deal…?_

"What the Hell are you doing here?" she interrogated in a stern quiet tone.

"Oh. Well, I just got up here to get some fresh air when I happened to spot you from the doors," he told her with an innocent smile.

"You can get fresh air anywhere at the school. Why the rooftop?" she wondered curiously.

"W-Why do you ask? Was I wrong for showing up here?" he worried, but with a confused tone.

"I guess not," she said as she turned her head around to check on Osana.

As far as she could tell, Osana was still crying on the bench, but not as much as she was before when Senpai took off. Sniffles and tear wiping was obvious from where she stood. Her long twin tails hung and swayed with the light wind in the air.

"What are you looking at?" he asked as he attempted to brush off the food from his uniform.

"Nothing. Don't worry about it," she quickly dismissed as she faced him again.

"So cold Yan-Chan," he pouted.

"Stop calling me that. I-It's weird," she blushed with slightly wide eyes.

Ayano's body became tense from embarrassment. Budo was unsure of what he had done to make her edgy, but only needed to unknowingly get an inch closer for Ayano to almost turn red. Her heart was skipping a beat with each second that passed being that close to him.

"Huh? But what's wrong with calling you Yan-Chan? I think it suits you," he admitted with a boyish smirk.

"B-Because… It just does!" she pouted in the other direction with her hands balled into fists.

He backed up to give her some space, blinking a few times and still quite puzzled by her reactions.

"Aha! Whatever you say," he said trying to avoid the name, "By the way, have you given the Martial Arts Club some thought? I know I've been kinda-!"

Ayano started to block him out once she noticed Osana's movements at the bench. She slowly sat up, wiped her eyes again and was making her way towards the double doors to head downstairs somewhere. Ayano wasn't sure where she could be going, but she couldn't afford to waste any more time guessing. She needed to follow and strategize immediately.

"Yes!" she abruptly cut him off during his explanation with her hand in his face.

"W-What?!"

"Yes! I will join your stupid club. Only thing is I won't be able to start training with you until next week on Monday."

"Oh wow! Really?! But why not this afternoon?"

"I have other plans today…"

Without further reason, Ayano sprinted away leaving Budo and her bento behind. It seemed like he couldn't keep up with this girl at all. One moment he would get her attention and hoped she would stick around long enough, next thing you know, she ran off without anything else to say, basically ignoring him.

It was very unusual to him, but on the bright side, he managed to convince her somehow to join his club. Now he had the chance to see her every day after school and get to know her better. It was good enough for him despite being covered in lunch food and having a hard time reading her.

"I should probably get this to her later. Otherwise she might not be able to sort her lunch perfectly next time," he picked up her bento pieces and wiped the dirt off of them.

Catching up to Osana after being stalled for too long by Budo was an annoyance to Ayano, who tried to maintain her speed without seeming too hasty or obvious to anyone around her. If she appeared anywhere near suspicious, undoubtedly stalker-ish or even alarm Osana from behind, the other students will think she was not to be trusted, despite not actually doing anything directly to anyone. Ayano shifted gears and went into stealth mode as other students were heading to their classes already.

 _Lunch must be ending soon. I gotta be fast about it or I'll be late to class. Where could she be heading to…?_

* * *

Her person of interest led her to the front of the school where the student lockers were located. Ayano had to suddenly halt a good distance from her because she stopped at the corner of the wall. Osana backed up some to hide behind the corner.

"Huh? Why did she stop? What's over there?" Ayano spoke softly to herself.

Ayano pulled out her phone to pretend she was checking on something, looking casual in case someone saw her just standing there in the middle of the hallway. She stood there for almost a whole minute, glancing every few seconds to make sure Osana didn't disappear from her view. If she had the advantage, she would swiftly knock her unconscious right then and there and hide her in an empty room until after school so there was no chance of her seeing Senpai later, but it was not the best time to try.

It just made her so angry to see her so close to him. She had to stop her. TODAY…

From afar, a figure was walking away from the lockers and heading to the opposite direction.

"Hmm? Oh! It's S-Senpai," Ayano whispered as her cheeks grew warm at the sight of him.

No matter how many times she saw him, it was like he was moving in slow motion. His simple appearance was more of a graceful one in Ayano's eyes. She sighed quietly as her stomach fluttered inside. Then she snapped back into reality when she remembered who else must've been admiring him as much as she was. When Senpai was gone, Osana ran out of sight and into the locker area.

Ayano chased after her without being noticed, inching towards the spot she last saw her. Once she was comfortable enough to spy on her from a good angle, she found Osana messing with the combination lock on her locker and slam it open. She pulled out a small pink envelop with a red tiny heart holding the flap closed. It looked highly suspect to Ayano.

 _What the Hell is that? Pink colored envelop? Heart shaped sticker? No! It's can't be!_

Osana flipped over the envelop and spread across the front read: **SENPAI** with a hand drawn heart beside it.

Ayano's blood began to boil when she realized what it was meant for. It was a love note. An invitation to the sakura tree at the back of the school. Osana was planning to lure her Senpai to a lovely scenery to confess her love and feelings to him after school. It was actually happening.

"No!" she growled in her throat as she grinded her teeth together.

Ayano's heart raced rapidly from the thought of her rival meeting with Senpai under the sakura tree, about to engage in a lovey dovey scene with each other. The pain of watching the two finally get together despite Ayano's efforts to spilt them apart. He would be out of her reach. He would embrace another girl tightly. He would kiss another girl deeply. She would feel his warm EVERY. SINGLE. DAY.

Her hands balled into fists. The jealousy and anger began to conquer her mind entirely. Her vision was nothing but red as she sharply eyed Osana and the love note. Her breathing became irregular as she envisioned torturing her rival and breaking every single bone in her body with anything available to her. She really wanted to get a hold of her twin tails and swing her around like a rag doll against the lockers. She could hear her erratic heartbeat pounding hard in her ears. There might not have been any force in the world to stop her from going into a rampage, until the school bell rang loudly over their heads.

Ayano snapped back into reality and every part of her body gradually returned to normal. It had to be the end of the lunch period and almost everyone had to be in class by then, except for the two of them.

Osana responded to the bell and quickly ran towards Senpai's locker to hesitantly slip the envelop into the open slot of the metal door and ran towards Ayano's direction to make it up the closest flight of stairs for class. Ayano hurriedly hid and had her phone out to conceal her nosiness as Osana flew passed her. The orange hair girl paused as soon as she recognized her classmate.

"Hey! Do you wanna be counted as absent? You should hurry and get to class or the teacher will kill you! Baka!" she advised and ran off to the set of stairs.

The sound of her footsteps quickly faded and Ayano took a deep breath before making her way to the classroom. She put up her phone and stomped up the steps without tripping.

"I could kill you right now if you give me a chance…" she mumbled in a growl as she hurried before she was considered absent.


End file.
